Federal regulations on auto finance are on the short list of things for dealers to worry about in 2013, according to a recent panel of National Automobile Dealers Association leaders.

“The biggest thing is regulations. If you sit and look at the number of regulations you have to contend with, it’s mind-boggling. Einstein probably couldn’t deal with it,” said Forrest McConnell III, NADA vice chairman for 2013. The NADA vice chairman typically becomes the chairman the following year.

McConnell is president of McConnell Honda and McConnell Acura in Montgomery, Ala. He spoke at the American Financial Services Association Vehicle Finance Conference in Orlando this month. McConnell had a bit of fun as he rattled off, rapid fire, just some of the regulations that apply to auto finance:

“You as a small businessperson have to deal with the Truth in Lending Act, Fair Credit Reporting, Risk-Based Pricing, debt collection, the Red Flags Rule, Blue Flags -- OK, I made that one up. But you’ve got a lot to stay on top of; it really takes a lot of effort away from what you’re doing. It’s really difficult.”